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Two Recommendations on the Pursuit of Happiness

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  • Christopher K. Hsee
  • Fei Xu
  • Ningyu Tang

Abstract

While any improvement in wealth and consumption will likely increase happiness, the increased happiness may or may not last long. In this article we offer two recommendations to make the increased happiness sustainable. The first one-to invest resources to promote adaptation-resistant rather than adaptation-prone consumption-seeks to make the increased happiness sustainable within a generation. The second recommendation-to invest resources to promote inherently evaluable rather than inherently inevaluable consumption-seeks to make the increased happiness sustainable across generations. (c) 2008 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.

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  • Christopher K. Hsee & Fei Xu & Ningyu Tang, 2008. "Two Recommendations on the Pursuit of Happiness," The Journal of Legal Studies, University of Chicago Press, vol. 37(S2), pages 115-132, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlstud:v:37:y:2008:i:s2:p:s115-s132
    DOI: 10.1086/592259
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    2. Winkelmann, Rainer, 2012. "Conspicuous consumption and satisfaction," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 183-191.

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